RyanFosterDesign is a small design company based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Founded by Ryan Foster, we create web sites + web applications for companies big and small in the UK, USA and Australia.
DODOcase recently won the Shopify Build a Business contest and we are really pleased to be working with them on the next iteration of their Shopify store. You can read how DODOcase won the Shopify Build a Business contest by generating almost $1 million in revenue within 3 months over at mixergy.com
Check out their existing shop if you want to pickup a very cool iPad Case
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An easy to use Content Management System for your website
We are pleased to see that Firelight is now in private beta. We have already been working with Pixellent on a number of sites built using Firelight, and so far we are impressed with the platform.
Content Management Systems
Content Management Systems (CMS) are an essential component of many websites because they give website owners control over their website. But typically commercial off the shelf systems are expensive, time consuming to implement and introduce additional IT overheads (database licenses, servers).
Open source content management systems offer a license free alternative, but you still have some of the same IT overheads and often these systems suffer from a lack of focus (because modules are designed by the community). This can make them difficult for non-technical content managers to use.
Many digital agencies create bespoke content management systems for their clients. This approach ties the client to their digital agency. If that relationship breaks down, in order to move on the client has to appoint a new agency and re-build their site.
But web based software offers an alternative:
Web-Based Software is software you use over the internet with a web browser. You don’t have to install any CDs, download any software, or worry about upgrades. If you use an online bank or web-based email program like Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo Mail then you’ve already used web-based software before - from 37signals.com
Introducing Firelight - a web based content management system
From their website:
Firelight is a powerful web publishing platform / content management system that makes building and managing websites simple. Firelight is hosted software so there's nothing to install and works on any platform.
So why do we like it?
We really do believe that the CMS is easy to use (for designers, content managers and website owners).
As a designer, you retain full control over your design and you can build sites really quickly and easily. Firelight has a really nice theme templating system familiar to anyone who uses Shopify so there is no steep learning curve.
Because its so quick to develop sites using Firelight, the number of development days required in a project are drastically reduced and you can offer excellent value for money for your clients whilst still delivering a profitable project.
As a content manager its intuitive user interface means your can quickly get to grips with how to manage your site within the system. This means that you can spend more time actually managing your site content and navigation rather than having to spend time learning a complicated content management system.
As a website owner because Firelight is a web based content management system, you do not need have to worry about databases and servers. And because its a commercial product, you are not tied to a particular designer/agency. This reduces risk and gives you a lot more flexibility.
To see Firelight in action take a look at the Prototype theme
RyanFosterDesign create web sites + web applications for companies big and small in the UK, USA and Australia. Email us, post a comment using the form below or view some examples of our work.
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Last week I was invited to Stockholm to help Hyper Island plan their new eCommerce Manager course:
Studying at the eCommerce Manager program at Hyper Island, you will learn how to lead, operate, and develop e-commerce, the e-commerce market place, as well as develop the way we do business online.
You can read more about the course on their website
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Improving the conversion rate on an eCommerce store is a key requirement of many design projects. This post explains some of the things that you can consider when planning and implementing the project.
General
Does your site look professional and build trust/credibility?
Is your product copy up to scratch (headlines, product description)?
Do you have clear and easy to understand site navigation/product categorisation?
Are your best sellers clearly visible?
Do you have clear links to special offers?
How prominent are your add to cart button(s)?
Is the product price clearly displayed?
Homepage
Can your customers quickly see/understand your product benefits?
Product Page
Is the add to cart call to action clearly visible? (consider colour, size, position)
Cart
Your cart design should be focussed on ways to reduce abandonment. Possible changes you could consider include:
Make sure your cart looks like the rest of your store
Reduce steps in the payment flow
Reduce redundancy (ensure the same information doesn’t ever need to be entered twice)
Ensure that customer knows when the product will be shipped
If you are offering money back guarantees ensure that these are clearly visible
Ensure payment options are available (you should offer the customer more than one way to pay)
Ensure customers know this is a secure form (add a padlock graphic and security message)
The amount of design changes you can make to your Cart will depend on the platform you are using. For example, with Shopify you are limited to presentation changes via CSS. However, the payment flow is quite nicely optimised (1. enter details – 2. enter payment – 3. thank you) so a few small CSS changes to align the Cart design to the rest of your store can quickly improve things.
Tools
You can use these tools to help refine your designs:
Navflow.com
Use Navflow to optimise your pages and user flows. View results as funnel visualisations, heatmaps and graphs.
Google Web Optimizer
Website Optimiser is an easy-to-use tool for A/B testing site content that delivers actionable results.
Google Anlaytics
Google Analytics gives you rich insights into your website traffic and marketing effectiveness.
Iterate
Introduce your changes gradually and in phases so you can track and review the impact your changes make and then use this data to further refine and improve the design.
Not Just eCommerce
These principles apply to all design projects. Every site should have clearly identifiable call to actions with measurable outputs… whether thats completing a registration form or downloading a PDF.
RyanFosterDesign create web sites + web applications for companies big and small in the UK, USA and Australia. Email us, post a comment using the form below or view some examples of our work.
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We are on the North East England Service Provider Register (and we have a 4 star rating!)
Only registered providers with satisfactory customer feedback are eligible to receive referrals from Business Link and other business support organisations using the North East England Service Provider Register so, it’is a true mark of quality.
So if you have a digital project and your business is based in North East England, speak to your local Business Link office and you could work with us and receive funding towards the cost of your project.
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